Chapter 1.6:

Paul and I came up to see Lady Mina waiting at the landing. She waved at both of us with a huge smile on her face. Behind her was Lady Vanya carrying a lot of luggage.

I suddenly felt very aware of how I looked and started to fiddle with my hands.

Paul casually thumped my back to get my attention and both he and I bowed at the same time.

“Good to see you again Lady Mina, Lady Vanya.” Paul greeted her. “To what do we owe this visit?”

“Nice to see you again, Paul and Adi.” Lady Mina replied cheerily.

She nudged Lady Vanya who gave us a small nod. “Hello, again.” She timidly greeted us.

Paul gave them a winning smile which seemed to please both ladies.

I couldn’t help but be a little jealous of how he was carrying the atmosphere of the conversation with ease. .

Paul is so smooth at talking to women.

“These two ladies came straight from the Capital for an urgent request, which I’m sure can wait until after supper.” Abram chimed in from the kitchen while carrying a ladle.

Paul clapped his hands. “Ofcourse! Let’s not stand on ceremony. I’m sure you two must be famished. Allow the Finches to prepare you a sumptuous meal.”

“Adi will show you where you can freshen up. You can leave your baggage at the entrance for now.” Paul added.

I shot him a look and tried to copy his confident smile.

“Right this way ladies.” I said while directing them to the washroom on the first floor. “There’s also a washroom on the second floor if you’re both in a hurry?”

Lady Mina shook her head. “Nonsense, I don’t mind waiting! You can entertain me while Vanya freshens up first.”

I looked back and forth between Lady Mina and Lady Vanya. My brain felt like short circuiting.

Am I dreaming?

I put my hands behind my back and started pinching hard.

Ow.

I tried not to wince from the pain.

Okay, I’m not dreaming. I’ve been given a rare chance to speak alone with Lady Mina!

I tried to steel myself as Lady Mina took a seat on one of the benches in the hallway we put out to let customers sit while waiting for their turn.

Lady Vanya grabbed a small bag and entered the washroom without a word.

Lady Mina watched her enter then turned to me, her hazelnut hair falling gently to the side of her face as she tilted her head. “So! How’ve you been?”

The scene made my heart beat wildly. “I-I’ve been doing well, Lady Mina.” I replied a bit too excitedly.

She pouted. “Hey! What’s with the ‘Lady’, it’s just you and me now.”

I chuckled nervously. “Ah, hahaha. My apologies, Mina.”

“You’re still doing it! Loosen up. No need to be so formal.” Mina chastised.

I scratched the back of my head. “Sorry! It’s hard for me cause you make me a little nervous.”

She looked down. “Still?”

“I mean, of course. You’re you and I’m just me.” I said weakly.

“But you and I have been friends for years now!” Mina replied with a sad look on her face. “You should be used to me.”

“Ah, my nervousness is because of something else.” I said evasively.

Should I just tell her now?

“Oh. Oh…” A look of comprehension dawned on Mina’s face.

Did she figure it out?

I started flapping my arms in a panic. “I… But yeah! It’s not a big deal.”

“What are you talking about? Of course it’s a big deal. And it’s perfect that it’s you.” Lady Mina grinned.

“I-what? It’s perfect?” I was confused now.

Is she saying she likes me back?

“Yeah! I knew father was having something special made for my birthday. I should have known he asked you to do it!” Mina answered excitedly.

My heart sunk.

Of course I misunderstood.

I tried to laugh off my disappointment. “Ha ha ha… You caught me Mina, yeah I’m working on something for your birthday.”

“I knew it!” Mina started bouncing up and down in excitement. “Is it finished? Can I take a peek?”

I shook my head. “Sorry, it’s not done yet.”

“Aww!” Mina pouted again. “Can you tell me at least if it’s a sword?”

I considered her for a while before nodding my head.

“Perfect. I actually came here because I needed a replacement weapon for my commencement rites next week.” She twiddled her thumbs.

“Commencement? That means… Wow! Congratulations!” I said excitedly.

“Thank you, that’s really swee-” Mina started. But then something she said registered in my brain.

“Wait. Replacement weapon?” I interrupted her.

Mina seemed to freeze. “Hehe… sorry, Adi. The one you made for me… Kinda broke.” She pulled out a lump of metal from one of their bags and handed it to me.

“Oh… oh my baby.” I crumpled to my knees and started gently stroking my departed masterpiece.

“I’m so sorry, Adi. It was the only way to pass my exam.” Mina replied solemnly.

I stopped at that. “Really?”

Mina started nodding her head. “Yeah! If you hadn’t made it so well, I don’t think it could have withstood the amount of mana I poured in.”

I was caught between feeling frustrated and mollified at that.

“Well… I’m glad it helped.” I replied sheepishly. “But still… This was made with the best quality Grade A magic ore. I thought for sure this was going to last you a bit longer.” I patted the distorted hunk of magic steel sadly.

“It did! It got me through our brutal expeditions in Desert Hell.” Mina answered quickly. “You really outdid yourself with this one. It kept me safe.”

I started to blush at her compliments.

“As long as it served its purpose, I guess.” I said resolutely. “That just means my next masterpiece has to be even better!”

“I’m confident you’re up to the task.” She gave me a big smile.

Just then, the door to the washroom opened and Lady Vanya exited dressed in casual clothes. “I’m done Lady Mina. You can go ahead.” She said quietly while drying her hair with a small cloth.

I gawked at her. “Uh… Sorry, are you guys going to stay the night?”

Lady Vanya tilted her head. “Didn’t Lady Mina mention that?”

I looked over at Mina who was avoiding eye contact with me.

Mina started chuckling nervously before facing me again. “You know my father won’t let me stay in the inns in this City. And we don’t really know anyone else. Is it too much of an imposition?”

I started waving my hands. “No, no! Of course not. What’s ours is yours. But does my dad know?”

Mina nodded at me. “Yeah, he said he was fine with it and that we should stay in Paul’s room tonight.”

My brain couldn’t process what I was hearing at the moment. “Of course, of course.” I said lamely.

“Right.” Mina declared while standing up. “I’ll freshen up. Be right back, you two.” Mina grabbed a small bag and headed into the washroom.

I looked at Lady Vanya who was just staring at me while drying her hair.

“Hi.” I said politely.

She gave a small nod in acknowledgement.

What do we even talk about?

“I… I heard you guys passed your exams. Congratulations.” I started.

“Oh. Thank you. It was really Lady Mina though. She did amazing.” Lady Vanya answered. “Sorry about your blade.”

I nodded sadly at that last statement.

“It must have been a heck of a battle. What was it like seeing Lady Mina fight?” I asked.

“It was breathtaking!” Lady Vanya suddenly replied enthusiastically.

She then recounted the whole ordeal in an animated manner. She set the scene and explained who was in attendance with such color that I couldn’t believe the change in her disposition. She was usually shy and quiet around us.

Huh… she has such a twinkle of awe in her eyes when she talks about Lady Mina. I guess we have that in common.

I continued to smile at her, regaled by her details and insights.

When she concluded, I couldn’t help but clap. “Wow! That’s amazing. I guess I understand now why Lady Mina had to sacrifice the sword I made.”

“Yeah… It’s really a shame. It was a good blade. All the recruits thought so.” Lady Vanya concurred.

“She didn’t get looked down on for not having an artifact?” I asked curiously.

“She did at first.” Lady Vanya looked annoyed. “But she quickly showed them that she didn’t need one to be the best. Top marks in every class and assignment. People started spreading a rumor that the sword she was carrying was actually an artifact, but she let other people examine it to prove them all wrong. I wouldn’t be surprised if her actions brought you even more customers.” Lady Vanya said proudly.

“Ah… Well, it’s not my insignia on it. But that might explain Guy’s rise in popularity the past few months.” I answered.

Lady Vanya nodded and an awkward silence fell on us again.

Now what?

Thankfully, Lady Mina came out which saved me from having to think of a new topic.

“Finding something interesting to talk about?” Lady Mina asked.

“Aye, she was telling me about your exam.” I replied with a smile.

Lady Mina blushed at that, “it was nothing too amazing. Vanya tends to exaggerate.”

Lady Vanya looked at her with reproach. “I would never embellish your achievements, Lady Mina! You were truly magnificent.”

I nodded in agreement.

Lady Mina chuckled in embarrassment.

I was about to ask her to recount the whole thing from her own perspective when Paul’s head popped out from the door to the kitchen.

“Supper is ready, everyone!” He announced.